Suburbs still in dark over power supply

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the ministers said that the uprooted trees and damaged EB poles were the biggest casualty in the cyclone resulting in blocked roads and power outage. A total of 5,439 trees have been removed from the roads by the Corporation officials so far. On Tuesday, 184.20 tonnes of garbage were sent to the Perungudi dumpyard over 168 trips and 1,438.01 tonnes were dispatched in 192 trips to Kodungaiyur dumpyard, according to a release.  

SP Velumani, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Minister, said that Corporation officials were working day and night to resolve the situation. “Nearly 1,953 officials from other districts have been brought in and a total of 19,933 personnel have been deployed to remedy the situation. Around 269 Corporation lorries, 295 chainsaws and 181 earthmovers are being used to remove the fallen trees,” he said.   Velumani said that Pazhaverkadu, Gummidipoondi and other coastal districts have been severely affected. 

“The affected areas are being attended to by the IAS officers and Ministers, who are conducting regular checks. Rescue and renovation work is being done on a war-footing. There is no need to panic,” said the Minister. The power outages, which were prevalent on Tuesday, were being rectified at the earliest, said Electricity Minister P Thangamani. 

“Power has been restored in 60% of the areas within the Corporation limits, wherever the fallen trees have been removed. Cyclone Vardah has damaged 15,000 EB posts and 40 transmitters. It will take a day or two to restore power to the suburbs and rural areas.” He added “In the interim, drinking water facilities and other necessities will be provided in these localities. Over 6,000 EB workers from other parts of the state and 3,000 employees from Chennai are working to rectify the situation.” 

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, who surveyed the damage to the fishing community, said, “More than 254 mechanised boats had been heavily damaged, out of which only 5 could be used again. Nearly 3,000 small boats and 127 fibreglass boats have also been damaged, 350 catamarans have been partially damaged while two are fully destroyed while 4,800 fishing nets have been damaged. Besides, 3,000 inboard and outboard motors can be used after repairs.” In Chetpet Ecopark, Rs 3 crore of damage has been ascertained, according to Jayakumar. 

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assured Opposition members that all necessary steps would be taken to restore normalcy in cyclone-hit Tamil Nadu. He was responding to the demands of the Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha. Opposition members expressed concern over the devastation caused by cyclone Vardah in the state and demanded that the Centre announce aid for the state immediately.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Communist Party of India leader D Raja said the Centre should provide aid to the Tamil Nadu Government to deal with those affected by the cyclone. “Many parts of the state were in the dark as electricity and telecommunication services were crippled. Thousands of trees have been uprooted. So the Centre must come forward to help the people of the state,” Raja said.  “Moreover, the state government has asked for Rs 1,000 crore disaster relief fund,” he added. 

“The government should respond to the Tamil Nadu government’s request of financial aid. The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister must consult each other immediately and they must announce a package or financial aid for the affected state,” said Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram. 

While complementing the government for positioning the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) in advance and making Army columns available for rescue, Chidambaram said more needed to be done. “What they have done is good but more needs to be done. Make sure that the ATMs and bank branches are replenished in Tamil Nadu so that people can withdraw their own money,” Chidambaram said. Responding to the concerns raised by the members, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said “I have heard suggestions given by the members. Whatever needs to be done immediately, I will certainly have a discussion with the government and take appropriate steps.” 

Send assessment teams: 

Tiruchi Siva of DMK said 24 persons have so far been reported killed in the cyclone.  He put commercial loses at Rs 8,000 crore and demanded that a central team be sent to assess the damage.